Ditidaht Community Plan Working Document August 18, 2017 Ditidaht Community Plan Our Vision sees a Healthy sustainable community where our families are well educated in our history and culture. Through Unity, strong leadership, and based on Traditional Teachings, Values and Practice we provide good housing, employment and opportunities for all. Based on Respect for our Territory, we develop our natural resources on land and sea for the benefit of many generations to come. This Vision Statement was updated at the Community Engagement Meetings in 2014 by Ditidaht members. We have retained this Vision as the foundation of the Ditidaht Community Plan. The goal of this Plan is to define work towards achieving this Vision. Note This Ditidaht Community Plan should not be interpreted as a final or complete statement on Ditidaht rights and title. This is intended to be a working document that will continue to evolve and be updated over time. Minor edits for clarity, March 28, 2018 i Acknowledgements This Ditidaht Community Plan was created by members of the Ditidaht First Nation with the assistance of the Planning Team and everyone who provided input into the Plan. Everyone worked hard to make this a comprehensive document that acknowledges the past, understands the present, and looks to the future for our community. It could not have been done without membership’s ideas and support. Paul Sieber worked especially hard over the 3 years of the Plan to bring it to reality. by Bobby Durocher The design is a Thunderbird with its wings wrapped around the earth. On each wing represents the two sides of treaty negotiations ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ ii 1.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to the Project ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 What is a Community Plan? ................................................................................... 3 1.3 Defining What Needs to be Done .......................................................................... 5 Goals, Objectives and Actions ................................................................................... 5 2.0 The Past ..................................................................................................................... 7 3.0 The Present and the Future....................................................................................... 8 3.1 Our People ............................................................................................................. 8 Population ................................................................................................................ 9 Culture and Language ............................................................................................. 10 Inclusiveness and Unity ........................................................................................... 12 Children, Youth and Elders ...................................................................................... 13 3.2 Land, Sea and Environment ................................................................................. 13 Climate ................................................................................................................... 16 Environment ........................................................................................................... 17 Sustainability .......................................................................................................... 18 Lands ...................................................................................................................... 19 Fisheries .................................................................................................................. 23 Wildlife ................................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Governance, Administration and Community Services ....................................... 26 Governance ............................................................................................................ 26 Administration and Program Descriptions .............................................................. 27 Nuu‐chah‐nulth Tribal Council Services ................................................................... 29 Additional Community Services .............................................................................. 31 Safety and Emergency Preparedness ...................................................................... 31 Communication and Engagement ........................................................................... 33 3.4 Health and Wellbeing .......................................................................................... 33 3.5 Learning and Education ....................................................................................... 35 3.6 Infrastructure ....................................................................................................... 38 Roads and Transportation ....................................................................................... 39 Housing ................................................................................................................... 42 Community Facilities ............................................................................................... 43 Hydro / Electrical .................................................................................................... 44 Other Utilities ......................................................................................................... 44 iii 3.7 Economy .............................................................................................................. 47 Current Businesses and Economic Development .................................................... 48 Opportunities .......................................................................................................... 52 Workforce Characteristics ....................................................................................... 52 3.8 Treaty ................................................................................................................... 54 4.0 Action Plan .............................................................................................................. 57 Objectives and Draft Preliminary Actions ................................................................ 58 5.0 Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................... 70 Appendices Appendix 1 – The Past Appendix 2 – Ditidaht Indian Reserves and Owned Lands List of Figures Figure 1 – Ditidaht Traditional Territory on Vancouver Island ................................. 14 Figure 2 – Ditidaht Traditional Territory – Marine and Offshore Resource Sharing Area ........................................................................................................................ 15 Figure 3 – Incremental Treaty Lands ....................................................................... 23 Figure 4 – Balaats’adt .............................................................................................. 39 Figure 5 – Balaats’adt Water Licence Map .............................................................. 44 Figure 6 – Balaats’adt Community Watershed ........................................................ 45 Figure 7 – Ditidaht Identified Potential Treaty Settlement Land, 2010 .................... 56 List of Tables Table 1 ‐ Registered Population as of January, 2017 ................................................. 9 Table 2 ‐ Ditidaht First Nation Languages characteristics ........................................ 11 Table 3 ‐ Summary of Ditidaht Reserves .................................................................. 20 Table 4 ‐ Incremental Treaty Agreement Lands ....................................................... 22 Table 5 ‐ Balaats’adt Households ............................................................................ 42 iv 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background to the Project This Ditidaht Community Plan (DCP) outlines the vision, goals, objectives, and actions for Ditidaht First Nation, establishing how the community will grow and change, how services will be provided to members, and how the Nation relates to other levels of government. Where did the ideas in the DCP come from? From us! The DCP is a result of the efforts of many hours of researching issues with community members and staff, talking about the future and making choices on how we will move forward into the future, together. The Plan is shaped around values that were clearly heard from the community throughout the process: #1 Build on the past: Traditional knowledge and the history of Ditidaht First Nation shapes this Plan. Wherever possible, knowledge and information from the Ditidaht Heritage Project have been incorporated. Ditidaht people have lived next to the sea since the beginning of time, and this relationship with the lands and waters will shape the Nation into the future. Much work has also been completed as part of the Treaty Settlement Process, and this information has also been incorporated into this Plan. #2 Include people both from home and away: Ditidaht First Nation members live far and wide. We held meetings in key communities – Port Alberni,